Bike commute and time value

[Scandium]

So I'm considering a job closer to home. It would be 7 miles each way, on paved trails, almost no death-defying road biking (drivers here are not used to bikes and pretty aggressive). So sounds pretty nice to do a bike commute and I want to, but then I look at the numbers and hesitate.

Drive it's < 15 min. I suppose it could be 20 min with some traffic, but generally the route is not bad.
Bike would be 40 min according to google maps. I.e. 10.5 mi/hr (I have no idea what my bike speed would be..)

So it would take me 50 min longer each day, 250 min/week. Or 216 hours more per year spent commuting! Or i could just drive and spend 50 min more per day with my family.. I already see my son less than I'd like, so this seems like a no-brainer. Why waste 50 min per day with my ass hurting when I could easily avoid it? 

Financially it makes a little sense, but not by much. Unfortunately I drive a prius, so (per my calcs, all included) it only costs something like 20 cent/mile. So the commute would cost me $2.8 per day (actually more than I thought). Or another way; it'd make $3.36 per hour for the time I bike, 1/2 minimum wage.. This of course does not count that I'd need nicer bike than the 7 year old, $80 Target one I have now, and any maintenance it would require (a $700 bike would take 46 weeks to pay itself back..). A modest cost of $730p per year for that extra time? Doesn't sound so bad to me. Now if I had a 12 mpg truck it would be a better deal.

So does bike commuting only make sense if I want to save 3 bucks, and want to see my family slightly less? I see little downside and pretty good upside to driving.

[Tyson]

Do you belong to a gym?  If so, how much time/money do you spend on that?  Because biking will let you cut that out.

[hunniebun]

For me, time with my kids is a premium and that is one of the main reasons I don't ride (on top of weather and lack of a safe route).  I think it would depend how much you enjoy biking, if you could use it replace work out time, do you value the lessening of impacts on the environment etc.   In the end only you can decide! Does it have to be all or nothing? 

[music lover]

Time value was the main reason I always drove to work...35-40 minutes on bike vs. 8 minutes driving. That's an hour of time a day to save $2 in fuel. In addition, I need a car for other aspects of my life, so I would have owned a car regardless. Also, the winters here are brutal and summers are humid, so driving to work was a no brainer for me.

[music lover]

Do you belong to a gym?  If so, how much time/money do you spend on that?  Because biking will let you cut that out.

Biking only saves on the cardio...what about muscle development?

[dandarc]

Off the top of my head - exercise.  Two birds, 1 stone.

Anyway, I tried bike commuting for about 2 months on a 5 mile each-way route, but on roads with decently steep hills (for me very steep).  It is also damn hot here a good chunk of the year.  Did not enjoy it and went back to a 10-15 minute drive.  That was in 2014.  Maybe I should try it again and see if it still sucks as bad as it did for me then.  Probably won't.

[FIREdancer]

I was also going to ask about if you use a gym, because you could save time and money cutting that out if you bike to work.  Or even if you don't pay for a gym, but do any other exercise at home, that still takes time, so could the biking replace that time spent exercising?  Then you'd still be getting back time with your kids.

What about compromising?  Bike two or three times a week and drive the other days.

Ultimately you have to look at what is more important to you.  I myself have about the same commute as you...7 miles which takes about 15-20 minutes driving.  I think that is reasonable.

[MrFrugalChicago]

You need to exercise every day. So when are you doing that, if not the bike?

FWIW I am a average serious biker, and I average 20 MPH.. meaning I would do your 7 miles in about 20 minutes. Basically making it a time savings, as at the end of the day I have 40 minutes of less exercise to do, with no additional commute time.

[Scandium]

Do you belong to a gym?  If so, how much time/money do you spend on that?  Because biking will let you cut that out.

Biking only saves on the cardio...what about muscle development?

Exactly. I don't much cardio anyway, as I have enough of that, and it's boring.. :)  I prefer strength exercise. I do crossfit twice a week so that's only 120 min, say 180 total to get there/back etc (it's on my way home). It's expensive so certainly good to cut, but it does a lot of other good in addition to cardio and motivate me so I've kept it. If I bike I'd have to do weights at home.

That's the most positive way I've thought of it. Cut the gym, save just over $100/month, get home earlier 2x/week and do weights after my son is asleep anyway. And as some have said I could do a mix. I was just just looking at the binary options for the calculations. I was just kinda surprised how poorly biking came out, as I thought this place was close it would totally make sense to bike. But not quite. 

[AlanStache]

Am in a similar situation, and quantitatively there is (nearly) no reason to bike to work, the cost savings are small by most any standard and the exercise time would be better spent running.

The main reason I still ride to work when the weather is nice (most anytime it is not raining) is that I enjoy it.

Also there are many days where riding to work is the only exercise I would get in a given day.

[dougules]

I think the easy way to figure it out is just to bike a couple times a week for a few weeks and see what you think.  I think if you try it both ways, you'll figure out what you want to do. 

And to those that don't think biking builds muscle, you should see my legs towards then end of the summer when I've been biking over the big hill between me and downtown. 

[Scandium]

Am in a similar situation, and quantitatively there is (nearly) no reason to bike to work, the cost savings are small by most any standard and the exercise time would be better spent running.

The main reason I still ride to work when the weather is nice (most anytime it is not raining) is that I enjoy it.

Also there are many days where riding to work is the only exercise I would get in a given day.

This reminds me of a quote a saw, but not sure about it's validity. Something like:

"Runners live longer than non-runners, but not by more than the time spent running. So they'd better really like running"

[kudy]

With some over-the-ear headphones at a low volume you can safely listen to audiobooks/podcasts while riding a bike - some of my best listening gets done when I ride to and from work! Without that time I'd probably have a huge back-log of un-listened to audio.

[Northwestie]

Time value was the main reason I always drove to work...35-40 minutes on bike vs. 8 minutes driving. That's an hour of time a day to save $2 in fuel. In addition, I need a car for other aspects of my life, so I would have owned a car regardless. Also, the winters here are brutal and summers are humid, so driving to work was a no brainer for me.

An 8 minute drive takes you 35-40 minutes?  Are you on a tricycle?

[svndezafrohman]

You need to exercise every day. So when are you doing that, if not the bike?

FWIW I am a average serious biker, and I average 20 MPH.. meaning I would do your 7 miles in about 20 minutes. Basically making it a time savings, as at the end of the day I have 40 minutes of less exercise to do, with no additional commute time.

7 miles in 20 minutes is really good. Are you counting in the time for all the traffic lights? I find that due to all the stops, I can only do my 8 mile commute in around 35 minutes.

[Shor]

You need to exercise every day. So when are you doing that, if not the bike?

FWIW I am a average serious biker, and I average 20 MPH.. meaning I would do your 7 miles in about 20 minutes. Basically making it a time savings, as at the end of the day I have 40 minutes of less exercise to do, with no additional commute time.

7 miles in 20 minutes is really good. Are you counting in the time for all the traffic lights? I find that due to all the stops, I can only do my 8 mile commute in around 35 minutes.

Same, I have a 16 mile commute, but it takes a little over an hour with all of the traffic stops. On top of that, if you weren't stopping and starting up it would surely be a Lot less work. On the other hand, I berate myself, because if I were going 20-25 mph at all times, I'd probably be making more green lights!

The biggest downside to biking is that my legs become super strong and they don't fit in to 'regular' fit jeans. Need to get the 'athletic' fit with extra room around the calves and quads or else it's just plain uncomfortable.

A car is a tool. For certain situations, it has great utility. Going far distances, carrying extra capacity, locomotion without exertion. There is a time and place for these things. You don't need to replace all car miles with biking, as it's been noted you need to give up some things, like pants. Instead, find out where you can make your life more efficient, and have less impact on the environment. You don't need to bike Everywhere, but can you replace Some of your miles with a bike? Can you do it without a lot of effort? With just a little bit of effort? Are you whining about fairly minor things?

These are things we should ask and answer for ourselves. In my case, biking on most days to replace my daily commute is extremely beneficial. One less car adding to traffic, one less combustion engine burning fuel. If it detracts from my lifestyle, I find that it still adds more in the places where it counts. Except in pants, damn these pants..

[Scandium]

You need to exercise every day. So when are you doing that, if not the bike?

FWIW I am a average serious biker, and I average 20 MPH.. meaning I would do your 7 miles in about 20 minutes. Basically making it a time savings, as at the end of the day I have 40 minutes of less exercise to do, with no additional commute time.

7 miles in 20 minutes is really good. Are you counting in the time for all the traffic lights? I find that due to all the stops, I can only do my 8 mile commute in around 35 minutes.

Same, I have a 16 mile commute, but it takes a little over an hour with all of the traffic stops. On top of that, if you weren't stopping and starting up it would surely be a Lot less work. On the other hand, I berate myself, because if I were going 20-25 mph at all times, I'd probably be making more green lights!

The biggest downside to biking is that my legs become super strong and they don't fit in to 'regular' fit jeans. Need to get the 'athletic' fit with extra room around the calves and quads or else it's just plain uncomfortable.

A car is a tool. For certain situations, it has great utility. Going far distances, carrying extra capacity, locomotion without exertion. There is a time and place for these things. You don't need to replace all car miles with biking, as it's been noted you need to give up some things, like pants. Instead, find out where you can make your life more efficient, and have less impact on the environment. You don't need to bike Everywhere, but can you replace Some of your miles with a bike? Can you do it without a lot of effort? With just a little bit of effort? Are you whining about fairly minor things?

These are things we should ask and answer for ourselves. In my case, biking on most days to replace my daily commute is extremely beneficial. One less car adding to traffic, one less combustion engine burning fuel. If it detracts from my lifestyle, I find that it still adds more in the places where it counts. Except in pants, damn these pants..

My super WASPy planned community suburb has ~100 miles of paved paths, so I wouldn't be on the streets except for maybe 200 yards, and only one traffic light. As far as I know, two (pedestrian) tunnels would take me under the only big streets I'd have to cross. I'd be curious how long it would take me. I could try with my current shitty bike.

Pant issues sound annoying. My pretty low rate of crossfit already made my shoulders/neck and traps larger so had to buy bigger shirts and have my suit tailored! Now I'd need new pants too?? Maybe this is a bad idea..

[Tyson]

I put one of these on my bike so that I could make much faster time when/if I needed to:

http://www.electric-bike-kit.com/hill-topper.aspx

[tobitonic]

I wouldn't do it. I like every moment outside of work spent with family / at home. YMMV.

[ender]

The way I think about it:

• It takes me about 30 min more each day
• I have a lot more energy at work
• It feels good to bike and I like it
• It forces me to exercise

Also, a 20mph average would be pretty ridiculous for me given the number of roads to cross. I do 4.5 miles in about 25-30 minutes, so about a 10mph total pace including stops. I guess that's pretty good still.

[CATman]

As a person who has a company vehicle and pay's $0 in vehicle related expenses (minus a small payroll deduction) I still use my bike for regular commuting around town over the car. There are non-monetary benefits as well. Biking is great for fitness as previous posters stated, but it also has amazing stress relief benefits. Plus it gives me a little extra time to think if I'm not in actual traffic. You say you want to spend more time with your son, but have you calculated in how much a bike ride a couple of times a week might improve your mood when you get home, making that time higher quality than if you were frazzled after commuting by car?

There's no way to put a $ figure to some off these things, but something else to consider when making a decision. I'd try it 1-2 days a week, see how you feel and decide from there.

[Just_Me]

7 miles is a pretty desirable bike commute for a variety of reasons. You don't have to bike commute. You also don't have to like it.

I think you should try it.

If you want to build muscle, just remove the seat and stand the whole way.

Kidding.

[darkadams00]

My commute: 9 mi each way, ~18 min drive, ~36 min ride.

Pros: We dropped to one car, we save money, I lost weight (more consistent on the bike than at the gym), I am more alert in the AM and completely de-stressed in the PM, I enjoy the bike ride more than the car commute, bike commuting to work introduced me to utility cycling overall so my lifestyle changed (and much of my family time has been spent riding bikes with my wife and/or son.

Downstream effect: My son learned how to ride a bike safely around town, and he uses public transit/Amtrak constantly. His not buying a car during HS/college has saved him thousands of dollars which has kept his bank account extremely flush. My example made it easy for him.

Cons: It does rain, I do have occasional work schedule conflicts with my wife (9 occasions this year).

False cons: Extra shower required (not if you work out at the gym in the PM anyway), time wasted (not if you go to the gym anyway), insignificant money saved (might be a bit true if you don't drop a car), time spent away from family (might introduce you to new ways to spend time with family a la kids might go with you to the grocery store if you bike there---and do you really count the AM minutes as family time? A totally fake argument if you own a TV)

For you (and others doing such contemplations)---everything depends on your prioritization. Just use real and reasonable rationale (sore butt is not a reason). Be fit and active. Save money. Spend time with family. Do a great job at work. Enjoy your commute. I bike and manage all of these. If you drive and do the same, more power to you.

[Goldielocks]

The way I think about it:

• It takes me about 30 min more each day
• I have a lot more energy at work

home with family and on weekends

• It feels good to bike and I like it
• It forces me to exercise

Also, a 20mph average would be pretty ridiculous for me given the number of roads to cross. I do 4.5 miles in about 25-30 minutes, so about a 10mph total pace including stops. I guess that's pretty good still.

Corrected that for you...:-)

I found the paved bike commute quite peaceful, and loved it, even when it was 40 min each way for me  (20 min after we got the ebike)...  commute with traffic and lots of stoplights actually increased my stress and blood pressure, so I stopped, but then lost some of energy for family time.

[kaizen soze]

For me it (choosing between a bus and a car commute) came down to whether I really believed I'd spend the extra time saved by driving at home, or just work more.  The bottom line was I always left work with just enough time to have dinner with the wife, no matter what method of commuting I chose.  In the end, the bike commute, though it took longer, forced me to be more efficient at work b/c I was forced to leave that much earlier to keep up my social commitments.  Your job may not have that kind of flexibility, but this aspect might be worth considering.

[jorjor]

If you don't want to ride your bike, don't ride your bike.

Me? I think driving is awful. Spending 15-20 minutes twice a day in a car sounds miserable. My 7.5 mile commute takes about 25 minutes on average (faster on the way there, slower on the way back due to prevailing winds and a slight incline). Driving would probably take about that (maybe even longer on the way home) but if it was 10 minutes each way I still wouldn't do it often.

Oh, and my muscles are just fine.

[big_slacker]

My distance is just a little more than yours (16-20 miles round trip depending on route) and I also drive a gas saving car 15 minutes one way.

#1: Google estimate is usually high if you're any kind of cyclist. Mine says 45 minutes one way but it's more like 30 when I track it on strava.

#2: Do you like biking? I love it, so I ride as much as I can as long as my legs feel good and it's not REALLY nasty out. If you hate biking I wouldn't do it at all in your situation, if you're indifferent I'd say do a day or two a week when the weather is nice or you feel like it.

#3: Fitness as other have mentioned. Nothing like a day when you bike to/from work *AND* hit the weights for an hour, that's 3000 calories of good eatin with no possible weight gain, woohoo!

Anyway, no need to be dogmatic just because MMM says it's badass to bike. Do it if you like it and it makes sense. :D

[Urchina]

I do it for the mood fixing effects. I have a 3-mile one-way commute (half suburban roads, half busy frontage roads) that I do twice a week. If I'm grouchy when I leave the house, I'm cheerful and much more efficient when I show up at work. Same for coming home. Stress slides off easier when I'm biking.

I'm slow. My commute takes me between 20-25 minutes on the bike; 8 minutes by car. But I feel so much better on the bike, and I also really enjoy the feeling of subverting the dominant paradigm.

Me and my old granny bike with chintz panniers, we're sticking it to the man for the fun of it!

[MoneyCat]

When I can't ride my bicycle, I drive my wife's plug-in hybrid instead. We charge it with our solar panels, so it doesn't cost anything to operate. You might want to look into something like that if the time factor of bicycle riding is an unacceptable burden. Remember: Frugality doesn't mean you need to be deprived of happiness.

[Fastfwd]

Do you belong to a gym?  If so, how much time/money do you spend on that?  Because biking will let you cut that out.

Biking only saves on the cardio...what about muscle development?

Use a higher gear. Of course it will still only do specific muscles in the legs.

[zhelud]

I specifically started biking to work to save time- even though biking takes longer, it means I get all my exercise done during my commute. So IMHO it is a very efficient use of time. In fact, since I have always thought of getting myself to the office as sort of an unpaid work activity, I feel like exercising during my commute is a way to get that time back from my employer.

[acroy]

BIKE IT
I have similar commute / time considerations
Even though biking does eat some time, I have found the biking 'improves the quality of the day' far beyond the 'lost' 20minutes or so.
The biking makes me happy, energetic, centered for the rest of the day. It improves the 'quality' of the day by at least 25%. I consider it a rather badass investment with many positive payouts.

[music lover]

Time value was the main reason I always drove to work...35-40 minutes on bike vs. 8 minutes driving. That's an hour of time a day to save $2 in fuel. In addition, I need a car for other aspects of my life, so I would have owned a car regardless. Also, the winters here are brutal and summers are humid, so driving to work was a no brainer for me.

An 8 minute drive takes you 35-40 minutes?  Are you on a tricycle?

7 miles of that was on highway, plus the time to clean up and change. I'm counting the entire commute time...not just the ride itself.

[GuitarStv]

Google maps is wildly underoptimistic about times to cycle somewhere.  My commute is a little over 10 miles each way on the road in heavy traffic with lots of stop lights, and it takes me 40 minutes on a good day.

Do you have showers at your work?

Other than that I have to echo much of what the others have said.  Mood wise, cycling to work is pretty wonderful.  You don't realize how frustrating driving around every day until you've tried the alternative.  The extra exercise is great as well.  I lift weights several times a week in addition to commuting, and you'll find that you're strong enough to mix the two after a month or so of cycling.  Being outside on a regular basis connects you very strongly to the seasons and the world as well.

[Chris22]

Being outside on a regular basis connects you very strongly to the seasons and the world as well.

That's why I drive a convertible sports car, which puts me in a far better mood than any bike ride ever could :)

[mizzourah2006]

Do you belong to a gym?  If so, how much time/money do you spend on that?  Because biking will let you cut that out.

If all you do is cardio at the gym, sure.

[GuitarStv]

Being outside on a regular basis connects you very strongly to the seasons and the world as well.

That's why I drive a convertible sports car, which puts me in a far better mood than any bike ride ever could :)

Well kudos to you for driving with the top down in rain, snow, and biting cold.  Usually I only see people cruising around in them on sunny days . . .

[mizzourah2006]

Time value was the main reason I always drove to work...35-40 minutes on bike vs. 8 minutes driving. That's an hour of time a day to save $2 in fuel. In addition, I need a car for other aspects of my life, so I would have owned a car regardless. Also, the winters here are brutal and summers are humid, so driving to work was a no brainer for me.

An 8 minute drive takes you 35-40 minutes?  Are you on a tricycle?

Depends on how much is highway and if you can take the same route. A 15-20 minute drive to work, would take me well over an hour, unless of course I wanted to ride my bike on the highway.

[Chris22]

Being outside on a regular basis connects you very strongly to the seasons and the world as well.

That's why I drive a convertible sports car, which puts me in a far better mood than any bike ride ever could :)

Well kudos to you for driving with the top down in rain, snow, and biting cold.  Usually I only see people cruising around in them on sunny days . . .

Because biking in any of that is awesome. 

Generally in the rain, no (but if you go fast enough the water goes over the top) but yeah, not much better than a crisp winter day bundled up, heater on full, top down. 

[undercover]

Does it really have to be either/or?

On days where your loved ones are being jerks: bike. On days they aren't and are happy to have you around: don't bike.

You already know the health, financial, and entertainment benefits to biking, and you're aware of the potential safety and time issues as well, so ultimately only you are going to make this decision for yourself. I get that you started the thread to open some discourse on the pros and cons of biking - but you already know the pros and cons and what works for you...

I would bike to work in a heartbeat if:

a) I were employed
b) I lived close enough to work and the commute wasn't dangerous in my eyes

Biking to the grocery store will likely always be out of the question for me unless I'm hurting for cash or I am just becoming way too fat and lazy all around. It would have to be a flat, safe ride less than a mile away.

But I'm also single, and probably lots of other variables that are irrelevant to you.

[GuitarStv]

Being outside on a regular basis connects you very strongly to the seasons and the world as well.

That's why I drive a convertible sports car, which puts me in a far better mood than any bike ride ever could :)

Well kudos to you for driving with the top down in rain, snow, and biting cold.  Usually I only see people cruising around in them on sunny days . . .

Because biking in any of that is awesome. 

Yes, it is.

[Rollin]

If you don't want to ride your bike, don't ride your bike.

Me? I think driving is awful. Spending 15-20 minutes twice a day in a car sounds miserable. My 7.5 mile commute takes about 25 minutes on average (faster on the way there, slower on the way back due to prevailing winds and a slight incline). Driving would probably take about that (maybe even longer on the way home) but if it was 10 minutes each way I still wouldn't do it often.

Oh, and my muscles are just fine.

+1. Also, the Google maps is really slow. Do you factor in getting to your parking space and to the building? With biking you head right to the door. So, my 7.5 miles driving DOOR-TO-DOOR is 25 minutes and my 7.5 miles bicycling is 25 minutes. I ride at about 15 mph, but the average is probable closer to 12-13.

[Scandium]

If you don't want to ride your bike, don't ride your bike.

Me? I think driving is awful. Spending 15-20 minutes twice a day in a car sounds miserable. My 7.5 mile commute takes about 25 minutes on average (faster on the way there, slower on the way back due to prevailing winds and a slight incline). Driving would probably take about that (maybe even longer on the way home) but if it was 10 minutes each way I still wouldn't do it often.

Oh, and my muscles are just fine.

+1. Also, the Google maps is really slow. Do you factor in getting to your parking space and to the building? With biking you head right to the door. So, my 7.5 miles driving DOOR-TO-DOOR is 25 minutes and my 7.5 miles bicycling is 25 minutes. I ride at about 15 mph, but the average is probable closer to 12-13.

Not to be a smartass, but if 7.5 mi take 25 min you ride at 18 mph.. If you're at 12 mph it takes 37 min, about the time it would take me, according to google. I'd love to do 18 mph, but really have no idea until I try. (Almost 30 km/hr, wow. I grew up biking in km/hr so have a better sense of how fast that is)

I tend to just to all-out when I bike, and like to think I'm in decent shape. If I have access to a shower I hope I could do it in less than 40 min, maybe 30? I don't compete in anything, I'm not fat, and think I'm ok as is so don't find the additional cardio particularly useful, but can't hurt. (but there will be butt hurt..)

[GuitarStv]

You keep mentioning that your butt hurts.  This leads me to believe that there's something wrong with your bike.  Properly adjusted you should be able to ride for 3-4 hours with no discomfort.

Some basic stuff to help you out:

Put your heels on both pedals.  You want to keep raising the saddle height until you just start to come off the pedal on each side with your heels on both pedals.  This will feel a little weird if you're used to riding with the saddle way too low, but you'll adjust to it.  From this height you can put much more power down with less effort.  The more power you put out through your legs, the less your weight is actually on your ass (less soreness).

Make sure that your saddle is level (or very close to level) with the ground.  This prevents you from sliding around on the saddle (sliding forward tends to make your hands hurt, sliding backwards can cause you to keep having to shove your nuts into the saddle).

It's worth getting a pair of basic bike shorts.  Yes, I know . . . they're skin tight.  They might show off your wiener a bit (most are designed to minimize this though).  They feel like you're wearing a diaper.  That pad in the butt makes it more comfortable to ride over bumps and jarring ground though.  They wick sweat away, so you don't get wet material grinding into your butt.  They are designed so that you won't get any ass chafing from poorly placed seams.  Totally a worthwhile buy.

When you go over bumpy ground, lift your ass off the saddle.  This uses your knees as shock absorbers and will dramatically increase the comfort of your bike rides.

[BigHaus89]

Biking to and from work is a great way to start and end the work day. Your mood is lifted all day long. The additional daily exercise on top of lifting really pushed you to the next level. I like to ride HIIT style to help build some more muscle and shed more fat. You can also ride 2-3x a week and drop the crossfit if you want more time with your son.

At the end of the day, it is up to you. I gave you the reasons I love biking to work regularly. 

[Rollin]

If you don't want to ride your bike, don't ride your bike.

Me? I think driving is awful. Spending 15-20 minutes twice a day in a car sounds miserable. My 7.5 mile commute takes about 25 minutes on average (faster on the way there, slower on the way back due to prevailing winds and a slight incline). Driving would probably take about that (maybe even longer on the way home) but if it was 10 minutes each way I still wouldn't do it often.

Oh, and my muscles are just fine.

+1. Also, the Google maps is really slow. Do you factor in getting to your parking space and to the building? With biking you head right to the door. So, my 7.5 miles driving DOOR-TO-DOOR is 25 minutes and my 7.5 miles bicycling is 25 minutes. I ride at about 15 mph, but the average is probable closer to 12-13.

Not to be a smartass, but if 7.5 mi take 25 min you ride at 18 mph.. If you're at 12 mph it takes 37 min, about the time it would take me, according to google. I'd love to do 18 mph, but really have no idea until I try. (Almost 30 km/hr, wow. I grew up biking in km/hr so have a better sense of how fast that is)

I tend to just to all-out when I bike, and like to think I'm in decent shape. If I have access to a shower I hope I could do it in less than 40 min, maybe 30? I don't compete in anything, I'm not fat, and think I'm ok as is so don't find the additional cardio particularly useful, but can't hurt. (but there will be butt hurt..)

Me no good at math. 25 minutes tho. 7.5 miles by auto and 7.3 by bike. Sorry for not being specific, as I rushed my answer. The point though is that it is very similar and really doesn't save as much as some might like, but there are other reasons to do it that surpass those two (time and money).

BTW - when we are in season my auto commute goes to 35-40 minutes and the bicycle is the same. When there is an accident on the roadways my bicycling is the same. When I come back from meetings during the day I beat the car drivers coming from the same meeting every time. We have had commuter challenges and the bike wins each time. If you are in the country not so much, but anytime there is congestion the bike is equal to or better than an auto.

[jorjor]

If you don't want to ride your bike, don't ride your bike.

Me? I think driving is awful. Spending 15-20 minutes twice a day in a car sounds miserable. My 7.5 mile commute takes about 25 minutes on average (faster on the way there, slower on the way back due to prevailing winds and a slight incline). Driving would probably take about that (maybe even longer on the way home) but if it was 10 minutes each way I still wouldn't do it often.

Oh, and my muscles are just fine.

+1. Also, the Google maps is really slow. Do you factor in getting to your parking space and to the building? With biking you head right to the door. So, my 7.5 miles driving DOOR-TO-DOOR is 25 minutes and my 7.5 miles bicycling is 25 minutes. I ride at about 15 mph, but the average is probable closer to 12-13.

Mine is door-to-door. Maybe add a minute to lock my bike up, and another minute or two to change. Morning ride is cool and usually not windy and the only hill is down, so I don't usually need to take an AM shower.

The way there is probably quicker on most days though. Average moving speed probably closer to 21 or 22, with merging onto a somewhat busy road and two stop lights I hit about half the time to slow me down. On the way back is a bit slower, but I usually add on. Probably around 18mph-ish average on my road bike. Oh, that makes a difference too. Road bike = faster. CX or mountain bike (for crappier and colder conditions) = slower.

[PhysicianOnFIRE]

I work in 2 places; a hospital and surgery center, and my desire to bike commute depends on where I'm working, so I get it.

The hospital is at most a mile away. It takes about 3 minutes to get there in a car, 4 to 5 minutes by bike. No brainer, bike wins.

The surgery center is about 4 miles away. It takes about 6 minutes to get there by car, or about 18 minutes by bike. Sure, it's only a 12 minute difference, but I'm up at 0515 to make it on time by car. I don't want to start getting up at 0500, so most days I drive it.

[jorjor]

Not to be a smartass, but if 7.5 mi take 25 min you ride at 18 mph.. If you're at 12 mph it takes 37 min, about the time it would take me, according to google. I'd love to do 18 mph, but really have no idea until I try. (Almost 30 km/hr, wow. I grew up biking in km/hr so have a better sense of how fast that is)

I tend to just to all-out when I bike, and like to think I'm in decent shape. If I have access to a shower I hope I could do it in less than 40 min, maybe 30? I don't compete in anything, I'm not fat, and think I'm ok as is so don't find the additional cardio particularly useful, but can't hurt. (but there will be butt hurt..)

You said you did CrossFit. I'd think you can go faster than what Google Maps says. "Forging Elite Fitness" and all that jazz. For reference, Google says something like 40 mins AM and 45 mins PM for my ride.

I do compete a bit in cyclocross races in the fall. I find that cycling adds to core and leg strength and gives me more benefits than just cardio. CF is good stuff too. I like throwing it in to improve power endurance and strength on the bike. I do a couple WODs per week on my own. It helps with that upper body muscle worries that you were talking about, and I've found that my cycling is faster and stronger since I've started doing it.

I ride more than just my commute, and I do some side strength stuff. So commuting doesn't 100% replace my exercise, but that's my choice. It certainly could.

[Scandium]

You keep mentioning that your butt hurts.  This leads me to believe that there's something wrong with your bike.  Properly adjusted you should be able to ride for 3-4 hours with no discomfort.

Some basic stuff to help you out:

..

I was mostly joking, but thanks for the ass-comfort recommendations. I rode to and from the gym once last week and my tailbone hurt pretty bad just from that. Think my seat is out of wack (leaning back?), but it's so rusted it's hard to adjust.. It's also definitely too low based on what you said. I've used those diaper-shorts before and they help so I'd need one of those. ANd maybe clip in bike shoes?

I grew up biking everywhere, up through college. But was never serious about it beyond transportation so not too into how it should be set up. And I cheaped out on a crappy bike so not sure that helps. I might need another thread on bikes if I decide to go through with this..